I wanted to use one full length piece and was surprised to find that the Hobie sail batten was exactly the right length! Additionally, it comes with one end rounded so there is no need to worry about catching on material.

Finally, at 1/8 " diameter, it slips right in the bottom seam of the sail without making any holes! My concern was that it might be too flexible for the job, but was so easy, I had to try it anyway.

I liked Kepnutz's custom wire nut handle, so found one to match the sail and screwed / epoxied one on the end. Here's what it looks like and also shows how it slips right in the seam:

I finally got the chance to try it out today in the Adventure and, would you believe it, there was no wind. The best I could do was make my own headwind, but I needed to see how it worked downwind!

Not to be put off, I decided if I could make headwind, I could just as easily make some tailwind! By reversing the Mirage drive, I was suddenly in business! These next pics show the boat wake coming off the bow and the nice "downwind" sail shape:

Eventually I found some real wind and was able to see some better downwind angles. These last two pics the sail was almost downwind in about about 5 - 8 MPH breeze:

I think both Yakaholic and Kepnutz, using stiffer rods, get better performance out of their sails, so I would never want to race them! But for those who want an off the shelf light duty downwind sailing enhancement, this baby boombat or "boomlet bat" does a nice job (Hobie part # is 84511). You don't even need a custom grip -- just order it and stick it in. Or you can save some money if you can find some nearby fiberglass rod and dress it up yourself (I couldn't find any long enough). To make sure it slips past the mainsheet grommet, you might borrow your other sail batten for a quick fit.

Nice idea to use the Hobie bat. I made my own and sealed it into the sail. The down side of that is that you can't reef the sail or roll it onto the mast and store it on the side of the boat.

Why not use the end cap they make for it so you can tie it off just like the the one that comes with the sail?

In these pictures, you can sort of see that the bottom of the sail has a batten in it.

I had the boat out today to see how it would perform with the new sailng rudder and the turbo finns. The winds weren't very strong, so I couldn't tell much about the rudder, but the turbos are a very nice addition. I like using the slower stroke. While sailing, just using a few nice and slow strokes increases sailing speed by about 25%.

Or you can save some money if you can find some nearby fiberglass rod and dress it up yourself (I couldn't find any long enough).

Try a fiberglas bike flag pole from your local bike shop or from Wally World, then cut it to length with a hacksaw. This is what I used for my safety flag pole on my OB. As you can see, it is plenty long enough.

Probably work. Do you fish off shore? Been thinking about launching mine off the beach and doing some trolling over the reefs off the coast in Palm Beach County. Might be tricky with the sail rig, but it would give me some nice trolling speed and allow me to cover a lot of area.

Hey TJ,
Only did that once off John Lloyd near Dania in my 9.5 foot Sport during GAFFE I, but it was a blast. We trolled along the reef edge about a mile out. There were some toothy critters out there and I kept getting cut off, but did manage to bring alongside a 3 to 4 foot shark and a moray eel!. The moray eel was only about 3 feet long, but it towed me a good hundred feet or so along the reef edge before I could manage to bring it into the boat for release. Here's an account of that little excursion.

Sorry--not about fishing while sailing. Aloha Dan is the recognized authority in that area--check out his posts and many experiments on that topic.

Well that was quiet an adventure. I have had a hard time finding folks down here interested in kayak expeditions. I have a group I surf kayak with and a group that I trailer sail with, but not much by way of kayak expeditions. dDd a kayak sail on my own to Cape Sabel, but that's about it.

I will be taking the Revolution down to John Pennekamp State Park for a three night stay Friday. Myself and three other trailer sailors will be renting dock space there and using kayaks to snorkel off of on the out side reefs. I'll try to get some pictures.

This is off subject, but how are you guys uploading photos directly to this thread. Others seem to have to go to photo bucket. I tried cut and paste from word but the photos didn't follow. Appreciate the info.
Thanks Duke

Made it to John Pennekamp State park in Key Largo this past weekend for some diving, sailing and pedaling. Didn't get any pictures of the Revolution , but got a few of the sail boats.

The first is off my 1982 Hunter 19 sailboat, about five miles out in the Atlantic over Greatian Rocks Reef. The second is of a friend coming back into the marina at the park. Several of us rented dock space and stuck small room air conditioners in the companionways in order get a little break from the bugs and heat at night.

I spent one day trying to sail the Revo in Largo Sound ( 4 X 2 mile protected water) while the others spent another day on the reefs. The wind on Sunday was almost nonexistent, so I pedaled most of the length of the bay and most of the way back before cooling off in the water, putting the sails away and pedaling the rest of the way back.

Later that night, after a nice dinner in town and some desert and cognac back at the docks, I went out for a pedal into the canoe trails that twist through the mangroves. The others had all turned in - they are an early to bed crowd - but after a couple beers and a little cognac, I didn't feel like crawling into my tiny cabin and laying there trying to go to sleep.

It was really pleasant gliding along in the dark over glassy water with only the stars lighting the way and only the sounds of fish breaking the surface of the water. Before long, I started to get a little Leary of getting lost in the mangroves and headed back to the sailboat.

The Revo should be a constant companion on trips with the bigger boat. It provides nice entertainment and exercise while anchored when I might, otherwise , be stuck on a small boat for many hours before pulling up anchor and sailing again.